Federal agents killed two civilian protestors during the operation:Renée Good andAlex Pretti, who were both US citizens. One person detained by ICE during the operation hasdied while in custody. The operation has disrupted the economy and civil society of Minnesota, with schools transitioning to remote learning and immigration arrests disrupting everyday business activities.[9][10] Thousands in Minneapolis have protested the ICE activity.[11] The governor and attorney general of Minnesota have challenged the operation, stating that its primary purpose is "retribution" instead of immigration enforcement.[12][13] On January 28, 2026, Minnesota chief US District judgePatrick Schiltz found that ICE violated at least 96 court orders in Minnesota since January 1, 2026.[14][15]
On February 4, White House "border czar"Tom Homan announced that the administration was withdrawing 700 immigration officers from the state effective immediately,[16][17] which will bring the total number of officers deployed to the state down to 2,000.[18] On February 10, Minnesota governorTim Walz said that he expected the operation would end over the next few days following discussions with Trump administration officials.[19][20] On February 12, Homan announced that the operation would end, but that the withdrawal would continue into the next week.[21][22]
On December 4, 2025, DHS announced Operation Metro Surge,[25] and on January 6, 2026, DHS announced an expansion of the effort to what it called the largest immigration enforcement operation ever carried out,[26] sending 2,000 agents to theMinneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area. The surge includedHomeland Security Investigations officers focused on the2020s Minnesota fraud scandals, as the White House announced a multiagency effort to investigate these scandals.[27] In addition, Donald Trump announced an effort to deport people ofSomali descent in Minnesota that he said were involved in fraudulent activity, describing them as "garbage".[28][29] Saint Paul City Council member Molly Coleman described the first day of the action as "unlike any other day we've experienced".[4][30]
ADepartment of Justice attorney testified that, as of January 26, at least 2,000Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers and 1,000Customs and Border Patrol officers were participating in the operation.[31] ICE says it has arrested 3,000 people in Minneapolis since the start of the operation. ICE detainee flights from Minneapolis more than doubled from December to January.[32]
Although the effort was reputedly focused on fraud centered in the Somali-American community, only 23 arrestees were from Somalia, and none had ties to the social services frauds under investigation. Following thekilling of Renée Good by a federal agent in January 2026, the largest fraud prosecution (Feeding Our Future) faced setbacks due to the resignation of sixfederal prosecutors, including lead attorneyJoe Thompson.[33] Persons detained on the basis of their actual or suspected immigration status have included restaurant,[34][35] airport[36] and hotel workers,[37] Target employees,[38] children[39] and families,[40][41] Native Americans,[42] students[43] and commuters.[44] Many detained individuals have been US citizens,[45][38] legal residents with work authorization,[46][37] or asylum seekers.[47] The operation has seen a surge in lawsuits for wrongful detention in Minnesota.[32]
Attempts by US citizens to observe or protest federal immigration raids have been met with surveillance,[6] threats,[7] arrests,[8] and use of force including beatings, the use of chemical irritants,[48] flashbangs,[49] andLRADs.[50] Journalists have been arrested after covering protests against ICE.[51] Despite widely publicizing dozens of arrests of protestors, and referring to arrestees as violent "rioters" who assaulted federal agents, theDepartment of Justice repeatedly reduced formal charges against protestors to the level of amisdemeanor, or dismissed their charges altogether. This pattern led to criticism from former federal attorneys that the arrests and charges were sought in order to intimidate opponents, rather than seek convictions.[52]
Timeline of operation
December 2025
At the beginning of December, ICE announced an enforcement surge in theTwin Cities. At least 12 people were arrested between December 1 and December 5.[53] CNN reported the operations were set to be primarily focused on undocumentedSomali immigrants.[54] Border Patrol officialGregory Bovino requested identification from employees of an auto repair business after the owner, a US citizen who had fledSomalia, advised a man that he didn't have to answer their questions.[55] Minneapolis mayorJacob Frey signed an executive order banning federal officials from using city property for staging areas.[56] In late December, ICE agents threatened a pair of observers with arrest, then drove to the home of one of the observers and photographed it.[6]
December 6 – Around a dozen federal agents entered a home inBurnsville, Minnesota, and arrested four people, including the parents of a seven-year-old boy. They were taken to detention facilities outside of the state.[41]
December 9 – A 55-year-old Minneapolis resident and US citizen was detained by federal immigration agents while observing an ICE enforcement action on a public street in north Minneapolis. According to local news reporting, civil rights organizations, and court filings, the woman drove to the scene after receiving alerts about ongoing federal activity and stood on a sidewalk near the enforcement site. Within seconds of asking an ICE agent "Are you ICE?", she was reportedly tackled to the ground, handcuffed, and taken into custody by agents.[57] Reporting indicates she was transported to theWhipple Federal Building in Fort Snelling, shackled, and held in a cell for approximately four to five hours before being released without charges. During her detention, parts of her clothing and her wedding ring were reportedly removed. The ACLU complaint asserts that the observer was on a public street, did not interfere with federal agents, and that the detention was part of a broader pattern of confrontations between ICE agents and individuals documenting federal actions.[58]
December 10 – A 20-year-old US citizen in theCedar-Riverside neighborhood in Minneapolis was wrongfully detained by unidentified ICE agents during his lunch break. The man was tackled, put into a headlock and taken in a vehicle to the Whipple Building, despite offering to show his passport by shouting "I'm a citizen. I'm a citizen." upon contact with the agents. He was released after being allowed to show his passport hours later and walked back to the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood in the snow. Minneapolis and Minnesota police and politicians denounced his detention as unlawful and unconstitutional.[59][60]
December 14 – In an interview, RepresentativeIlhan Omar said that her son had been pulled over by ICE. He was able to show the agents his passport and was not detained.[61]
December 15 – ICE agents in Minneapolis attempted to arrest a woman who they said had attempted to vandalize their vehicle. The use of force in detaining the woman was criticized by Minneapolis police chiefBrian O'Hara, and led to pushback from bystanders, who surrounded the agents and threw snowballs at them until they abandoned the arrest.[62]
December 22 – ICE agents opened fire on a Cuban immigrant who they alleged had hit them with an SUV while fleeing arrest in Saint Paul.[63]
January 2026
January 5
A family reported that a father was detained by ICE while on his way to work, disrupting the family's livelihood and leaving them uncertain about his status and location.[40] A judge later ordered his release.[64]
January 6
DHS announced it was launching what it called the largest immigration enforcement operation ever carried out, sending 2,000 agents to the Twin Cities.[4]
ICE agents photographed the license plates and faces of a St. Paul couple observing their activities, then greeted them by name and drove to their house. According to the couple, the encounter was intimidating and left them shaken.[6]
A woman, her child and her neighbor's child, who is African American, were also pulled over by ICE. Observers gathered around the traffic stop, and the agents eventually left without making an arrest or speaking to anyone in the car.[65]
A 10-year-old Columbia Heights student and her mother were taken by ICE and sent to a Texas detention center.[66]
A resident of St Paul's North End neighborhood said that federal agents knocked on her door asking her to identify houses in her neighborhood whereHmong families lived.[68]
A Minneapolis pastor was detained by ICE during a protest near his church. He said that agents invoked his race in determining that he would be released shortly after arrest.[69]
Health care workers and organizers said ICE entered a Minneapolis hospital without a warrant and guarded/handcuffed a patient to a bed, raising concerns about interference with care and access to private areas.[70]
Federal agents tackled people and used chemical irritants and detained an educator[71] outsideRoosevelt High School in Minneapolis. Eyewitnesses said the agents were hitting people who were already on the ground.Minneapolis Public Schools subsequently canceled classes for the remainder of the week.[72]
January 8
In aMcDonald's in Minneapolis's north side, a security guard blocked ICE from forcing their way behind the restaurant's counter without a warrant.[73]
A video showed ICE agents raiding aTarget store and arresting two workers in the Minneapolis suburb ofRichfield.[74][75] Both were US citizens, who were injured during the incident and released shortly after being detained.[38]
ICE arrested a 31 year old Mexican man who entered the United States in 2022. ICE agents took him to a hospital and a CT scan discovered that eight bones in his face and skull were broken and that he was suffering from brain hemorrhages. Hospital staff said that the nature and extent of the man's injuries were inconsistent with ICE claims that the man had sustained his injuries running into a wall while trying to escape custody. The man alleged that he had been beaten by the agents. They also pointed to changes in the agents' story, with one agent initially telling caregivers that the man "got his shit rocked".[76]
January 9
An ICE agent threatened a pregnantSt. Louis Park immigration attorney with a can of pepper spray and scanned her face after she requested that the agent leave the private parking lot of her law firm.[6]
Four members of theOglala Sioux tribe were detained by ICE during a raid on a homeless encampment in Minneapolis. DHS refused to give tribal President Frank Star Comes Out more information about the detainees unless the tribe entered into an immigration enforcement agreement with ICE. One of the four detainees was released, and the other three were held at theFort Snelling unorganized territory, near the eponymoushistorical fort; the site where native prisoners were held during theDakota War of 1862.[42]
January 10
While tens of thousands of people protested against the activities of ICE in reaction to the killing of Renée Good, as part of a coordinated national protest movement targeting ICE and federal immigration enforcement practices,[77] 29 protesters were arrested.[78]
January 11
An ICE agent threatened a man who said he was trying to get home, accusing the driver of following them and saying "Did you not learn from what just happened?" in reference to the killing of Renée Good.[7]
ICE arrested two US citizens engaged in a community patrol who were monitoring their activities. The agents sprayed pepper spray into the vent of the patrollers' car and smashed the car's windows.[79] One patroller described his experience inside the Whipple Federal Building, where he said that food and bathroom breaks were rare, injured detainees were denied medical attention, and that DHS agents offered to "pay him money or extract favorable immigration outcomes on his behalf if he would give them the names and contact information of other illegal immigrants". The pair were released into an active protest outside the building after 8 hours of detention, and subsequently pepper sprayed alongside the other protesters.[48]
In St Paul, ICE smashed the window of a Honduran national and dragged him from his car, also arresting a protestor out of the crowd that had formed to observe the arrest.[80] On 14 January, his family said he was alive, but very injured and not receiving treatment, in a detention center in El Paso, Texas.[81]
Greg Bovino was booed and cursed at after using the bathroom at a Target inMidway.[68]
January 12
A classroom assistant and US citizen was detained by ICE outside the special needs school where she works inInver Grove Heights, Minnesota. Witnesses disputed DHS claims that the woman had rammed their vehicle, saying it was "evident they rammed her and then broke her window to pull her out of the vehicle" based on the damage done by the collision to the side of her car.[82] She was released after 12 hours in custody, pending an investigation.[83]
January 13
A crowd of over 100 confronted ICE agents raiding a home inPowderhorn Park, Minneapolis. Three people were detained, two of whom were acting as observers. Witnesses observed ICE agents pushing one observer's head into the cement before detaining him. A different protestor kicked the taillight of an ICE vehicle and was able to escape capture. As ICE left the scene, they fired pepper balls and tear gas at the crowd.[84]
Another woman who said she was on her way to a doctor's appointment at the Traumatic Brain Injury Center had her window smashed and was dragged from her car, bound and carried away by masked agents. She said that she was denied access to a doctor and lost consciousness while in detention, and that she felt "lucky to be alive".[85]
Federal agents fired flashbangs and tear gas at protesters outside the Whipple Federal Building.[49] 8 people were arrested.[86]
A restaurant's surveillance video showed a worker described as legally authorized to work being seized by federal agents who appeared to have been waiting outside.[35] He was released from custody nearly a month later.[88]
January 14
Healthcare workers in the Twin Cities said that ICE agents were entering hospitals with detained individuals, worrying nurses and interfering with patient care by entering private areas of the hospital without a warrant.[89]
A Woodbury, Minnesota real estate agent who spotted an ICE patrol and parked next to them at a shopping center had his car blocked in by ICE agents and was detained by them for three hours at the Whipple Federal Building.[90]
A neighbor's home security camera captured an ICE arrest at a bus stop in South Minneapolis. The camera has also captured changes in the behavior of commuters, including people waiting around the corner until the bus comes or running home after getting off the bus, for fear of being picked up by ICE.[44]
Aquila Elementary School was forced to change its pick-up procedures due to a persistent ICE presence at the school and at an apartment building across the street. One PTA member said that "Aquila teaches its kids to be kind, to be tolerant, to be thoughtful, to keep their hands to themselves, and none of those attributes are being modeled for them in the world outside their school", and that "Kids are missing school because ICE keeps cracking down on this city, this community, and specifically this neighborhood, these few blocks here, almost every day."[91]
Agents forced their way into an apartment building, detaining a 17-year-old Columbia Heights student and her mother.[66]
A couple reported having ICE agents deploy tear gas and stun grenades around their car as they were stuck near a protest, resulting in the hospitalization of their six children inside.[92][93][94]
ICE detained several workers at a Mexican restaurant inWillmar, Minnesota. The officers ate at the restaurant earlier in the day, then returned to arrest the employees after they closed.[34]
St. Paul Public Schools reported ICE stopped two of its contract vans transporting students and staff.[95]
January 16
More than a dozen MSP airport workers were detained by ICE on the job.[36] Their union,UNITE HERE Local 17, said all of the workers had legal authorization to work in the country and had passed rigorous federal background checks in order to work in the airport.[46]
January 17
Jake Lang, a pardonedJanuary 6 rioter, attempts to burn a Quran in front of a government building and march through the streets of a Somali neighborhood, but is disrupted and attacked by counterprotesters.[96]
January 18
Without a search warrant, federal immigration agents made entry into a US citizen's home in Minnesota, handcuffed him, and took him outside in freezing temperatures in his underwear. He was detained for two hours before immigration agents released him.[45] ICE officials claimed they were searching for two men with criminal records who they believed were living in the house. Local media reported that one of the men ICE claimed they were looking for had been in a Minnesota prison since 2024.[97]
ICE officially announces the death of Victor Manuel Diaz while in ICE custody. In a statement, ICE claims that Diaz committed suicide, which the family disagrees with.[67][98]
January 19
ICE arrested a man working at a St. Louis Park hotel where agents were staying. The man came to the United States as a refugee and had a valid work permit, and was ordered released by a judge on January 25.[37]
January 20
A police chief shared that two off-dutySaint Paul Police officers had been briefly stopped by ICE.[99]
Brooklyn Park Police Chief Brian O'Hara stated that an off-duty Brooklyn Park Police Department officer had been stopped by ICE at gunpoint.[99]
Liam Conejo Ramos, a five-year-old student atValley View Elementary was approached by masked ICE agents as he returned home from school with his father. According to school officials, they took the boy to the door of the house and used him as 'bait'[100][101] to get the residents to open the door. In response to backlash, senior ICE officials alleged the officers were attempting to protect the child from the cold.[102] At the same time, ICE claimed that Liam's mother was inside the house. School officials suggested the pregnant[103] mother was likely fearful of opening the door.[104] The ICE agents took Liam and his father away to a detention center in Texas. According to their lawyer, the family came to the US in 2024 fromEcuador and has an active asylum claim.[105][39] This was the fourth student at the Columbia Heights School District to be detained by ICE. Earlier the same day, a 17-year-old student was taken from his car by ICE agents.[66]
January 21
Fong Khang, a US legal permanent resident from Laos, was taken into ICE custody and transferred to Texas in apparent violation of a federal court order. The day before theMinnesota Board of Pardons had set aside Khang's criminal convictions; he had remained free of convictions since 2010. According to his lawyer he was to be returned to Minnesota.[106]
Volunteers delivering food to migrants reported ICE vans were staking out area food banks and following them. Visits to local food pantries were down 50–80 percent.[107]
January 22
Federal agents detained an immigrant man and his 2-year-old daughter, who had active asylum cases, as they were returning from grocery shopping. When a crowd gathered, the agents used flash-bang grenades and chemical agents. Despite a federal court order for the toddler's release, both were transferred to Texas. The 2-year-old was later returned to her mother.[47]
Two women were arrested after alerting the public to the presence of ICE agents hiding at an apartment complex near a school bus stop. While being transported to the Whipple Federal Building, an agent began having seizures. The women asked to be freed from their restraints to render first aid to the agent, as the other agents were incapable of doing so. After saving the agent's life, the women asked to be released, but they were taken to Whipple and charged with impeding a federal officer.[108][109]
January 23
Ageneral strike is held across the state in response to ICE activity in the state.[2]
The Trump administration announces thatTom Homan would oversee operations in Minnesota.[111]
January 27
Several ICE agents attempted to enter the Consulate of Ecuador in Minneapolis.[112][113] The attempted entry was condemned by US and Ecuadorian officials along with legal scholars, who described the incident as a "major infraction of diplomatic norms."[114][115]
January 28
ICE detains a volunteer community food shelf delivery driver at the Hallie Q. Brown Community Center in St. Paul, in violation of a mayoral directive forbidding immigration enforcement on city-owned property. ICE cited the man's criminal record as a teenager to justify his detention and deportation. Since his release from prison in 2016, the man had been involved in various community organizations inFrogtown and St. Paul's North End, and community members spoke to his good character.[116]
January 30 and 31
A second Twin Cities general strike planned byUniversity of Minnesota (UMN) campus student union organizers[117] expands nationally, branded as National Days of Action in Solidarity, calls for a general strike and economic blackout - no school, work or shopping.[118][119]
February 2026
February 1
Police declared an unlawful assembly outside the Hampton Inn inRogers, disbanding a protest against the presence of ICE agents in the hotel.
Liam Ramos and his father are returned to Minnesota from their detention in Texas.
Federal agents used chemical irritants and arrested one observer inPowderhorn Park.
An employee of Michelandia Bar and Grill in south St. Paul is reportedly arrested by ICE.
Citizens report ICE presence and arrests in Columbia Heights and downtown Minneapolis. ICE presence reported inBurnsville,Shakopee, and St. Paul's East Side.
A number of ICE operations took place in the South and Southwest sections of the Twin Cities, as well asEdina and the East and North Ends of St. Paul.[123]
February 4
Tom Homan announced the withdrawal of 700 agents from the Twin Cities, saying that increased cooperation from local law enforcement had freed them up to conduct arrests elsewhere. The number of agents deployed in the region remained at around 2,000.[124]
Citizen reports documented numerous arrests in Twin Cities locations as well as in the outlying towns ofAlbert Lea,Austin andSt. James.[124]
Agents continued to circle schools and neighborhoods in the Twin Cities, including the home of Liam Ramos in Columbia Heights.[124]
Protestors created makeshift checkpoints along Cedar Avenue in Minneapolis, in an attempt to preemptively identify the presence of ICE agents in the area.[125]
February 5
An ICE presence was reported near Lake Ripley Elementary School inLitchfield following an operation at a home near the school.[126]
Federal agents shattered the glass of an apartment complex on East Franklin Avenue in Minneapolis, forcing their way inside to arrest a 37 year old resident. The Justice Department accused the man of making threats against ICE agents and supporters online. A neighbor said she felt the number of agents and the weaponry they used was excessive for the nature of the arrest.[127]
In speech in Minneapolis, Tom Homan announced end of Operation Metro Surge, with ICE agents gradually withdrawing in the upcoming week.[128][129]
Shootings
Locations of federal law enforcement shootings in Minneapolis, January 2026. Red markers denote fatalities; orange denotes a non-fatal shooting. 1 = Renée Good. 2 = Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis. 3 = Alex Pretti.
Good shortly before she was shot, as seen in the DHS agent's video of the incident
Renée Nicole Macklin Good, a 37-year-old American woman, was fatally shot inMinneapolis, Minnesota, byUnited States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent Jonathan Ross, on January 7, 2026.[a] Good was in her car, stopped sideways in the street, which led Ross to circle her vehicle on foot. Other agents approached, and one ordered her to get out of the car while reaching through her open window. Good briefly reversed, then began moving forward and to the right, into the direction of traffic. At this point, Ross was standing at the front-left of the vehicle and fired three shots, killing her, as her vehicle passed him, turning away from him. The killing sparked national protests and multiple investigations.
Federal law enforcement officials and PresidentDonald Trump defended the shooting, saying the agent acted inself-defense, that Good ran him over, and that the agent was recovering in a hospital. Their accounts of the shooting were contested by eyewitnesses, journalists,[133] andDemocratic Party lawmakers, some of whom called for criminal proceedings against Ross.[134][135] The president and federal officials were criticized for espousing conclusions before any investigation had occurred. Minneapolis mayorJacob Frey and Minnesota governorTim Walz called on ICE to end their presence in the city.
The killing sparked widespreadprotests in Minneapolis,[136] and other US cities including Chicago, New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington, D.C.[137] Marches in Minneapolis prompted the closing of public schools and the deployment of more police officers. Federal agents usedtear gas andpepper spray against protesters, and Governor Walz placed theNational Guard on standby.
Leaders of theDepartment of Justice (DOJ)'sCivil Rights Division declined to open a constitutional investigation, which led more than a dozenfederal prosecutors in Minneapolis and Washington to resign in protest. Minnesota attorney general Keith Ellison, along with the cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, filed suit against theDepartment of Homeland Security (DHS) to halt ICE deployments. The incident intensified national debate over immigration enforcement and renewed calls toabolish ICE.
Shooting of Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis
On January 14, 2026, Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, aVenezuelan man,[138] was shot in the leg by a USImmigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent in Minneapolis.[139][140] The shooting took place in thenorth Minneapolis area.[81] According to the Department of Homeland Security, there was a car chase and then a struggle with a federal agent in front of a residence, where two other people attacked the officer.[139][141] It was claimed that the agent was attacked with a snow shovel and the handle of a broom, with Sosa-Celis said to have used the broom handle in the claimed attack.[142] Agents said they shot Sosa-Celis in self-defense, who went inside the residence and refused to come out. Federal agents went inside the residence.[138][139][141] Sosa-Celis was transported to a hospital.[139][141] Protests developed near the scene, with federal agents firing tear gas and protesters throwing rocks and fireworks.[143] Following the shooting, Minneapolis mayorJacob Frey said the ICE deployment to Minneapolis was "not sustainable" and was putting Minneapolis in an "impossible situation", and he called for protests to be peaceful.[139][141][140]
In an affidavit filed in federal court January 16, aFederal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent gave an account of the incident that varied in several details from the government's first account. According to the FBI affidavit, ICE agents identified the license plate of a car as belonging to a man their records showed had unlawfully entered the US. They identified the driver, who said he had recently purchased the car, as the man they were looking for although the driver was 50 pounds heavier and five inches taller than ICE's suspect; both had short brown hair. Sosa-Celis, the man who was shot and who ICE said was the target of the stop, was not in the car. The driver fled the stop, crashing into a light pole near the house where Sosa-Celis was standing on the porch. The ICE agent, who had not been identified, caught the driver in the yard and an altercation ensued between the two. Sosa-Celis tried to pull the driver away from the ICE agent; as the ICE agent drew his pistol both fled toward the house and Sosa-Celis was shot 10 feet away from the agent.[142] The ICE agent reported a "bloody gash" to his hand. The third man supposedly involved in the altercation was not mentioned in the FBI affidavit nor could it be confirmed that he was at the scene.[144]
Two videos were released in the days after the shooting that contradicted the federal government's account of the incident.[145][146] From inside the house, Sosa-Celis' wife filmed aFacebook live streaming video of her call to 911 during the incident. She told the 911 operator that agents fired through the front door, striking Sosa-Celis.[145] Photographic evidence of a bullet hole in the front door presented at a court hearing on February 3, 2026, confirmed the family's account of the incident.[146] There were five people inside the house, including a small child, when agents fired at Sosa-Celis.[145] Shortly thereafter, U.S. attorney Daniel Rosen moved todismiss with prejudice the charges against Sosa-Celis and the other man, stating that "newly discovered evidence" was "materially inconsistent" with the charges.[147]
Pretti was filming law enforcement agents with his phone and directing traffic. At one point, he stood between an agent and a woman whom the agent had pushed to the ground, putting his arm around the woman.[149] He was thenpepper-sprayed and wrestled to the ground by several federal agents, with around six surrounding him when he was shot and killed.[150][151][152] Bystander video verified and reviewed byReuters, theBBC,The Wall Street Journal, and theAssociated Press (AP) appears to show an agent removing a gun and moving away from Pretti roughly one second before another agent fires at him.[153][154][155][156] AP reported that a voice can be heard saying "gun, gun" right before the first shot.[157]
Pretti was legally licensed to carry a handgun.[158] In reviewing video evidence, Reuters, the BBC,The New York Times,CNN, andThe Guardian all concluded that he was holding a cell phone, not a gun, in the moments before being tackled and pinned to the ground.[154][156][159][160] Agents appear to have shot at him at least ten times within five seconds, continuing after he lay motionless.[156][159][155] A civilian recounted how nearly two dozen witnesses to the shooting were taken to and detained at the federally-controlledWhipple Building for hours before being released.[161] As with the Renée Good case, state investigators were denied access to the shooting scene by the federal government.[162]
TheTrump administration initially defended the shooting, though many of its claims were contradicted by video evidence and witness testimony.[163] The shooting acceleratedongoing protests against US immigration forces locally and nationally.[164] The killing and the government's defense provoked widespread criticism, including fromRepublicans, forcing Trump to attempt a course correction. This move has been viewed with skepticism by local activists, who expect continued immigration enforcement in the region.[165] Comments by Trump administration officials denouncing Pretti's possession of a firearm were condemned bygun rights groups, such as theNational Rifle Association (NRA) andGun Owners of America (GOA), citing his rights under theSecond Amendment.[166]
On January 11, federal immigration agents arrested aLiberian immigrant after breaking into his home with abattering ram despite only having an administrative warrant issued by an immigration officer and not a judicial warrant, and despite the fact that he had regular meetings with immigration authorities for years prior to his arrest.[168][169] On January 15,Minnesota US District Court judgeJeffrey Bryan ruled that the forced entry into the Liberian immigrant's home constituted awarrantless search in violation of theFourth Amendment and ordered his release.[170] However, ICE detained the Liberian immigrant a second time only a day later when he and his attorney attended a subsequent routine check-in at a federal building.[171][172]
On January 18, aHmong American citizen was mistakenly arrested by ICE agents after they forced entry into his homewithout presenting any warrant;[45][173] the target of the search has reportedly been in prison since September 2024.[97][174] In a review of 33wrongful detention lawsuits filed in the Minnesota US District Court on January 16 and January 17, theMinnesota Star Tribune found that there was no evidence of a warrant in the majority of the lawsuits.[175]
Responses
Political
Local
Minnesota attorney generalKeith Ellison described the federal immigration enforcement deployment as "in essence, a federal invasion of the Twin Cities and Minnesota, and it must stop" asserting that the thousands of armed ICE and DHS agents had caused serious harm and chaos under the guise of immigration enforcement. He criticized the operation in a press conference on January 12 as not helpful: "This surge has made us less safe. Thousands of poorly trained, aggressive, and armed agents of the federal government have rolled into our communities. They have fired chemical irritants at people obeying lawful orders. This is an unlawful commandeering of police resources."[176][177][178][independent source needed]
On January 15, Minnesota governorTim Walz insisted that the Trump administration "stop this campaign of retribution".[13] After thekilling of Alex Pretti, Walz likened the impact of federal immigration enforcement in Minnesota to theexperiences of Anne Frank during theHolocaust. Walz stated that like Frank, many children were hiding in their homes and afraid to leave due to the ongoing immigration actions in the state. TheUS Holocaust Museum later criticized his comparison of Franks experiences and those of immigrant children, stating that Frank was targeted and murdered solely for being Jewish, and any false equivalences are not acceptable especially whileantisemitism levels increase.[179][180]
On January 16, Minneapolis MayorJacob Frey criticized the broader operation, stating it was "not normal immigration enforcement" and calling on the federal government to halt "unconstitutional conduct that is invading our streets each and every day". Regarding discrimination of specific groups, he added "We have seen consistent unconstitutional practice by ICE discriminating only on the basis of are you Latino, are you Somali".[181][182]
Minneapolis police chiefBrian O'Hara criticized the operation, stating that local police received constant911 calls about ICE actions and that ICE and DHS had eroded public trust in law enforcement gained since2020.[183]Brooklyn Park police chief Mark Bruley stated that the operation had caused "civil rights violations in our streets" and alleged that multiple off-duty officers had beenracially profiled and harassed by federal agents.[184][183]Hennepin County Sheriff DaWanna Witt called the actions of federal agents "not just only wrong, but illegal".[185]
Trump administration
Vice PresidentJD Vance defended the ICE agent involved in thekilling of Renée Good and rejected claims of unlawful actions by federal agents, remarking that characterizations of Good as an innocent civilian were "a lie" and that the officer was acting in self-defense.[186]
After Alex Pretti's killing, PresidentDonald Trump spoke with Walz by phone about the operation.[187] Trump subsequently announced that he would be sending White House Border CzarTom Homan to Minnesota to oversee the operation.[111][188] Border Patrol officialGregory Bovino was reportedly expected to leave the state with some agents.[189][190] Trump blamed Democrats for the killings of Pretti and Renée Good, arguing that they had encouraged obstruction of law enforcement operations.[191]
On February 2, Noem announced that all DHS law enforcement officers deployed to Minnesota were being issuedbody cameras.[192][193]
Congress
Protesters disrupted a service of theSouthern BaptistCities Church, which has a lay pastor/elder whom protestors said was a senior ICE official.Harmeet Dhillon announced that the protest would be investigated as a violation of theFACE act.
On January 8, a day after thekilling of Renée Good, representativeRobin Kelly (IL-D) announced plans to introduce articles of impeachment against Kristi Noem;[194] the articles were formally introduced on January 15.[195] By January 26, days after thekilling of Alex Pretti, the articles had 140 Democratic cosponsors.[196]
On January 22, 2026, the House passed an appropriations package that included funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), including ICE.[197] On the same day, Democratic lawmakers sent a letter to Kristi Noem saying they are outraged by 53 deaths in ICE/CBP custody and accusing DHS of a "callous disregard for human life".[198] Hours after the January 24 killing of Alex Pretti, Senate minority leaderChuck Schumer (NY-D) said that Senate Democrats would not pass appropriations that included the DHS funding; support from Senate Democrats is necessary to pass the bill. If appropriations are not passed by January 30, the government will enter apartial government shutdown.[199]Susan Collins (ME-R), chair of theSenate Appropriations Committee, said that Republicans are open to reforms for DHS but opposed a separated DHS funding measure; she said the current bill included items such as increased DHS oversight and $20 million forbody cameras.[200]
On January 29, eight Republicans joined all the Democrats in the Senate to block the government spending bill that would fund DHS over concerns about immigration enforcement following the killing of Alex Pretti. Democrats said they would not approve the spending bill that includes DHS "[u]ntil ICE is properly reined in and overhauled legislatively."[201][202]
Protests
Thousands of people protested against ICE at Powderhorn Park in MinnesotaProtesters also staged a noise demonstration outside a hotel where ICE were believed to staying
A protest in Minneapolis after the ICE agent shooting of observer Renee GoodICE OUT protest in Minneapolis, January 23, 2026On the day of Good's death, hundreds of protesters gathered at the location of the shooting.[203] Later in the day, the crowd had grown to thousands.[204] On January 8, protesters gathered outside of theBishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis, at least three people were arrested and several others were held on the ground by law enforcement,tear gas andpepper spray were also fired at the group.[205][206] On the same day, protesters barricaded the location of the shooting to create a vigil.[207] City workers removed the barricades shortly after, but preserved the memorial that had been established.[208]
On January 9, Minneapolis andFridley schools were temporarily closed after reports of ICE agents tackling people at Roosevelt High School a day before.[209] In the evening, over 1000 protesters gathered outside the Canopy byHilton hotel in downtown Minneapolis where ICE officers were believed to have been staying. Police ChiefBrian O'Hara described it as a "noise protest" to disrupt those inside until protesters began causing property damage and one police officer was injured by thrown ice. At 10:15pm police declared the protest an unlawful assembly and 30 people were arrested, at which point the crowd dispersed.[210][211][212]
On January 23, more than 700 small businesses and several cultural institutions closed as part of an economic protest andgeneral strike. Organizers estimated that 50,000 attended the associated protests in subzero temperature.[217][218] In the morning of the same day, hundreds of clergy members protested atMinneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport calling for an end to the ICE surge. Around 100 clergy members were arrested during the protests.[219][220]
On January 24, in the aftermath of thekilling of Alex Pretti, hundreds gathered at Whittier Park to protest. A vigil was held at Whittier Park and the intersection of 27th and Nicollet Avenue.[221]
On January 25, about 1,000 people gathered in about 3 °F (−16 °C) weather[222] inGovernment Plaza outside theHennepin County Government Center in downtown Minneapolis for a rally, protesting ICE and CBP and calling for justice after thekillings of Renée Good andAlex Pretti. Passing cars honked in support of the protesters. After the rally, the crowd marched down 3rd Ave. and Washington Ave., chanting phrases such as "no more Minnesota nice, Minneapolis will strike," "shut it down, shut it down, shut it down," and "strike, strike, strike, strike."[223]
Following the distribution of an anonymous flier online that evening, demonstrators gathered outside a Home2 Suites hotel on University Ave SE that ICE agents were allegedly staying at.[224] Demonstrators created noise and vandalized the exterior of the building. According to local police, federal agents arrived without notifying them as they were attempting to issue dispersal orders and deployed tear gas.[225]
On January 30, there is a planned strike, attempting to replicate and expand on the previous January 26 strike.[226] The strike organizers are calling for a total economic blackout, including schooling, work, and shopping. Though schooling in particular is being focused on, with campus protests being a focal point in the movement.[226] The activist groups are also hoping to expand to a national blackout, not just local to Minnesota.[227]
Also on January 30,A Concert of Solidarity and Resistance was held at theFirst Avenue club in Minneapolis in support of the families of Renée Good and Alex Pretti, withBruce Springsteen performing his song "Streets of Minneapolis".[228]Tom Morello, a musician and activist hosting the event, afterwards joined the march at Hennepin County Government Center with the thousands of people attending.[229][230]
On January 31, a coalition including the50501 movement and theWomen's March organized over 300 "ICE Out of Everywhere" protests as a follow-up action to the January 30th "National Shutdown."[231] CNN described "massive crowds of protestors [...] marching across the nation," and organizers claimed that around 50,000 people joined the demonstration in Minneapolis.[232][233][234]
Minneapolislabor unions and community organizations called for a January 23general strike in response to the ICE surge.[235] The name of the strike is "ICE Out of MN: Day of Truth and Freedom."[236] On January 23, thousands of Minnesotans participated in the strike against ICE actions in their state.[237] In the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area, hundreds of businesses closed to protest Operation Metro Surge.[238] Businesses across the state also closed in solidarity.[237] Statemuseums were also closed.[239]
Over a thousand labor unions endorsed the general strike, including the MinnesotaAFL-CIO.[239] The strike was also endorsed by the Minneapolis city council.[239] It may be one of the state's largest strikes.[240]
The day after the Jan. 23 strike, VA nurse Alex Pretti was shot and killed by CBP. A second strike was organized for Friday, Jan. 30, with protests and vigils on Saturday, Jan. 31.[242]
Civil society
By January 15, Minneapolis church Dios Habla Hoy had delivered over 12,000 boxes of food in six weeks to families in hiding during the operation.[243] Native American groups, including theAmerican Indian Movement, Indigenous Protector Movement, and Little Earth Protectors, began monitoring and conducting patrols in Minneapolis in response to the operations.[244][245][246]
On January 28,Bruce Springsteen released the protest song "Streets of Minneapolis", condemning the violence of federal agents in the city.[247] Alyric video for the song was released on January 29. The song ended up going number-one in 19 different countries.[248][249]
In response to the killings of Good and Pretti, on February 4, 2026,punk bandDropkick Murphys, along withhardcore punk bandHaywire, released the song "Citizen I.C.E.", a re-working of the Dropkick Murphys 2005 song "CitizenC.I.A.".[250]
Corporations
On January 25, an open letter was posted to the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce website signed by over 60CEOs of Minnesota-based companies calling for an "immediate deescalation of tensions". Signers included the CEOs of3M,Cargill,Mayo Clinic,Target,Best Buy,UnitedHealth Group, andGeneral Mills.[251]
International
In response to ICE actions in Minneapolis, officials in Italy expressed concern over the reported planned involvement of ICE in providing security for US officials during the2026 Winter Olympic Games.[252]
On 12 January, the state governments of Minnesota and Illinois and the city governments of Minneapolis and Saint Paul filed federal lawsuits against the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and top federal officials, including the heads of ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP).[253][254] They argued that the large-scale deployment of ICE agents is unconstitutional, unlawful, and has disrupted civic life and violated civil liberties.[255] The State of Minnesota invokes theTenth Amendment, arguing that the unilateral deployment of federal agents to perform general policing duties constitutes an unconstitutional commandeering of state resources and a violation of the state's sovereign police powers.[256] The City of Minneapolis challenges the operation under theAdministrative Procedure Act (APA), contending that the sudden designation of schools and hospitals as enforcement zones was an "arbitrary and capricious" policy change made without the required public notice or comment period.[257][255] On January 19, the Justice Department filed a request to reject lawsuit's motion for a preliminary injunction and temporary restraining order.[258] Oral arguments began being held in the case on January 26.[259] At least 20state attorneys general have filed amicus briefs in favor of Minnesota.[260]
On January 31, Minnesota US District Court judgeKatherine M. Menendez denied a preliminary injunction requested by the plaintiffs against federal government, arguing that "the relative merits of each side's competing positions are unclear" that weighed against approval.[261][262]
Walz's office issued a press release after receiving Bondi's letter saying, "This is not common sense, lawful immigration enforcement. That is not what this occupation is about. And it's not what the attorney general's letter is about",[265] and at a press conference on January 26, Walz said "This has nothing to do with fraud."[266] Minnesota Secretary of StateSteve Simon refused Bondi's request and called the letter "an outrageous attempt to coerce Minnesota into giving the federal government private data on millions of US Citizens in violation of state and federal law".[267] Simon noted: "Attorney General Bondi knows full well that the Governor has no formal role in managing our elections or maintaining our voter registration system. She is also well aware that this specific request is the subject of active litigation with our office."[268]
On January 25, Donald Trump called on Congress to pass legislation to ban state and local government sanctuary policies and called on Walz, Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey, and all Democratic governors and mayors "to formally cooperate with the Trump Administration to enforce our Nation's Laws, rather than resist and stoke the flames of Division, Chaos, and Violence."[269] At a press conference on January 29, White House Border CzarTom Homan appeared to suggest that reductions in the number of immigration officers deployed to the Twin Cities were contingent on "cooperation" from state and local government leaders.[270][271] On January 26, Minnesota US District Court judge Katherine M. Menendez referenced the letter on the first day of oral arguments in the class-action lawsuit filed by Minnesota against DHS when questioning the Justice Department's lawyers.[259][272]
ACLU
On December 17, 2025, individual plaintiffs and theAmerican Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota filed a class-action lawsuit (Tincher et al. v. Noem et al.)[273] alleging constitutional violations by federal agents participating in Operation Metro Surge. The complaint referenced events on December 9, 2025, also documented by MPR-News[274] and argued that agents engaged in retaliatory arrests against observers and conducted traffic stops without reasonable suspicion, violating First and Fourth Amendment rights.[275]
On January 15, 2026, theACLU has filed a second class-action lawsuit alleging widespread racial profiling by federal immigration agents under the surge.[276] In the complaint the ACLU argues that arrests based solely on ethnic appearance or accent violate theFifth Amendment'sDue Process Clause and theEqual Protection Clause as well as the prohibition againstarbitrary detention withoutprobable cause.
On January 16, Minnesota US District Court judge Katherine M. Menendez issued a preliminary injunction in the first lawsuit filed by the Minnesota ACLU in December placing specific restrictions on federal agents participating in "Operation Metro Surge" in Minnesota. The ruling ordered agents not to retaliate against individuals "engaging in peaceful and unobstructive protest activity". Specifically, the court prohibited the use of pepper spray or other "crowd dispersal tools" as retaliation for protected speech and barred agents from detaining motorists who were not "forcibly obstructing or interfering with" officers.[277][278] On January 21, theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit issued anadministrative stay of the Minnesota US District Court ruling to allow for the administration to file an appeal.[279][280] On January 26, it issued a formal stay to block the injunction during the appeals process, finding the injunction to be "vague and overly broad" and that parts of it were essentially orders to "obey the law".[281]
Wrongful detentions
In a review of federal court filings in Minnesota forwrongful detention lawsuits, theMinnesota Star Tribune found 288 cases filed from January 1 through January 21 and 344 filed from December 1 through January 21, which compared with 128 filed in 2025 in total and 375 filed between 2016 and 2024.[175]Politico subsequently reported that the judges of the Minneapolis US District Court have consistently ruled that the Trump administration had violated the law (sometimes egregiously), ruling in favor of the administration in only a handful of cases.[282]
On January 27, Minnesota US District Court Chief judgePatrick J. Schiltz ordered ICE acting directorTodd Lyons to appear in court over the agency failing to follow dozens of court orders in the wrongful detention lawsuits, with Schiltz threatening to hold Lyons incontempt of court for failure to do so.[283] While Schiltz acknowledged in the ruling that ordering the head of an agency to appear in federal court was extraordinary, Schiltz also wrote that "the extent of ICE's violation of court orders is likewise extraordinary, and lesser measures have been tried and failed."[284] The next day, Schiltz temporarily withdrew his order for Lyons to appear after the agency released a wrongfully detained person that led Schiltz to issue the order.[285][286] Schiltz issued a broadside saying that ICE had violated nearly 100 court orders, and that, in January alone, ICE had disobeyed more court directives than "some federal agencies have violated in their entire existence".[287][288]
On January 7, Minnesota governorTim Walz issued awarning order to theMinnesota National Guard following thekilling of Renée Good.[293][294] The next day, Walz ordered the Minnesota National Guard to be "staged andready"; Walz's office issued a press statement saying: "[The National Guard] remain[s] ready in the event they are needed to help keep the peace, ensure public safety, and allow for peaceful demonstrations".[295][296] On January 17, the Minnesota National Guard announced that it had been mobilized but not deployed by Walz to support theMinnesota State Patrol with activated members planning to wearyellow reflective vests to "help distinguish them from other agencies in similar uniforms",[297][298] while theMinnesota Department of Public Safety stated that the Minnesota National Guard "are not deployed to city streets at this time, but are ready to help support public safety".[299] Following thekilling of Alex Pretti on January 24, Walz deployed the Minnesota National Guard to assist local law enforcement at the request of theHennepin County Sheriff's Office and the Minneapolis city government.[300][301]
On January 18, theUnited States Department of Defense reportedly ordered 1,500 active-duty soldiers to prepare for a possible deployment to Minnesota, including twobattalions from the11th Airborne Division of theUnited States Army based in Alaska.[299][311] In an emailed press statement, department spokespersonSean Parnell stated, "The Department of War is always prepared to execute the orders of the Commander-in-Chief if called upon",[298] but an unnamed Trump administration source has said that the standby order does not guarantee a deployment will occur or is imminent.[299] An unnamed Defense Department source has confirmed that the standby order was issued in response to Trump's threats to invoke the Insurrection Act.[312] In response to the reports of the standby order, Frey said in an interview: "It's ridiculous, but we will not be intimidated by the actions of this federal government[...] It is not fair, it's not just, and it's completely unconstitutional."[313] On January 20, the Defense Department reportedly issued a second standby order to abrigade of theMilitary Police Corps stationed atFort Bragg in North Carolina to prepare for potential deployment to Minneapolis.[314][315][316]
On February 3,ABC News reported that theUnited States Northern Command had issued a stand down order the previous weekend to the service members that had been mobilized by the standby orders.[317]
Results
DHS reported by December 13, 2025, the operation had resulted in the arrest of 400 undocumented immigrants, claiming this included pedophiles, rapists, kidnappers, and drug traffickers.[318] In January 2026, ICE reported that 103 out of 2,000 arrestees, or about 5 percent, had records of violent crimes.[319]
A review of a list of names of individuals ICE said it had arrested in Minneapolis, however, showed that at least several had not in fact been arrested in the operation but had been transferred from state custody to DHS before December 1, 2025, including one individual who had been transferred in 2003.[320] On January 19, 2026, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem claimed in a post onTwitter that ICE had "arrested over 10,000 criminal illegal aliens" in Minneapolis, including 3,000 in the past six weeks.[321]
^At the time of the shooting, Ross worked as anofficer under theOffice of Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) of ICE, which is the directorate in charge of detentions and deportations.ICE agent is commonly used by English-language speakers and media to refer to ERO officers. Ross was identified by cross-referencing statements made by federal officials concerning a dragging incident the shooter was involved in with court documents.[130] His name had not been released by federal authorities.[131][132]
^abVinick, Gaby; Looft, Chis; Margolin, Josh; Charalambous, Peter; Alcini, Camilla (January 25, 2026)."A minute-by-minute timeline of the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by a federal agent".ABC News. RetrievedJanuary 25, 2026.More than a minute after Pretti was shot, the officer who appeared to emerge with Pretti's weapon later returned to the scene and told other officers, 'I got the gun. I got the gun.'
^abLum, Devon; Willis, Haley (January 24, 2026)."Videos Show Moments in Which Agents Killed a Man in Minneapolis".The New York Times. RetrievedJanuary 24, 2026.As the gun emerges from the melee, another agent aims his own firearm at Mr. Pretti's back and appears to fire one shot at close range. He then appears to continue firing at Mr. Pretti, who collapses. A third agent unholsters a weapon. Both agents appear to fire additional shots into Mr. Pretti as he lies motionless. In total, at least 10 shots appear to have been fired within five seconds.
^Cineas, Fabiola (January 29, 2026)."'ICE Out' strike and protests: what to know about demonstrations across the US".The Guardian.ISSN0261-3077. RetrievedJanuary 30, 2026.For the first action on Friday, organizers, led by several student groups at the University of Minnesota, are calling for a "national shutdown", which means: "No work. No school. No shopping. Stop funding ICE." The "blackout" day, which many online are referring to as a "general strike", is an effort to "shut down the economy"… On Saturday, organizers, led by the national grassroots organization 50501, will stage an "ICE Out of Everywhere National Day of Action", which will include a variety of protests, demonstrations, and vigils, in all 50 states and Washington DC.
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